The North American Hockey League (NAHL) today announced the Divisional Stars of the Week presented by Easton for the week ending October 20, 2013. The Divisional Stars of the Week is a weekly feature during the 2013-14 regular season that honors the top performing players in each of the four NAHL divisions.Only players that are nominated by their respective teams are considered for the Divisional Players of the Week award.

Bismarck veteran goaltender Aaron Nelson, 20, has been busy this season and this weekend was another example of the Bobcats continued reliance on the North Dakota native. On Friday, Nelson (5’9/170) made 37 saves in a 3-2 road loss to Brookings. On Saturday, Nelson and the Bobcats turned things around on the Blizzard with a 3-1 win, in which Nelson made 30 saves in the win. For the weekend, Nelson stopped 67 of 70 shots and allowed three goals in two games. He ranks tied for first in wins in the NAHL with eight and ranks second in both games and minutes played. “Aaron has been a workhorse for us. He played really well on Friday and gave us a chance to win when we weren’t at our best,” said Bobcats head coach Layne Sedevie. “We are relying on him a little bit too much right now, but we know he can handle it.”

With a weekend home sweep over the Minot Minotauros, the Minnesota Wilderness closed to within one point of 1st place in the Midwest Division. After being injured since the beginning of the season, forward Michael Covach, 19, made his season debut with flying colors. The native of Shillington, Pennsylvania, scored twice and added an assist as the Wilderness won two one-goal games over Minot. On Friday, Covach (5’10/215) had the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over the Minotauros. On Saturday, he scored again and added an assist on the game-winning goal in a 3-2 win. He was also a +2 on the weekend as the Wilderness improved their record to 7-2-3. “Michael is an elite player and it was good to finally see him on the ice after working hard to get back from injuryMade a big impact this weekend. Gifted skill set, thinks the game well.

The Janesville Jets got back to the winning side of things with a weekend road sweep of the Coulee Region Chill. Leading the way offensively was 19-year-old forward Michael Louria. The native of Wexford, Pennsylvania recorded three goals and an assist in the two wins. On Friday, Louria (5’11/185) scored the game-winning goal with just over a minute left in a 5-4 win. On Saturday, he scored two more goals and added an assist in a 4-1 win. He was also a +3 in the game. For the season, Louria leads the Jets in scoring with 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) in 10 games played. “Michael has come in and really brought that offensive firepower we lost from last season,” said Jets head coach Joe Dibble. “He has an unbelievable work ethic on and off the ice and works very hard for every thing he gets.”

20-year-old forward Matt Sieckhaus is a big reason why the Amarillo Bulls were able to continue their winning streak this past weekend with a home sweep of Corpus Christi. The Bulls pushed their winning streak to eight straight with wins of 7-1 and 4-0. Sieckhaus (5’10/175) recorded six points (4 goals, 2 assists) in the two wins and was also a +4. On Friday night, the Fenton, Missouri native had a hat-trick and an assist in a 7-1 win. On Saturday night, he added another goal and an assist in a 4-0 shutout win. For the season, Sieckhaus is tied for the NAHL scoring lead with 17 points (8 goals, 9 assists) in 12 games played. “Matt has been playing really well. Has taken on a leadership role and he really leads by working hard,” said Bulls head coach Dennis Williams. “He is really dedicated this season to improving and does a good job at finishing. He deservedly has some serious NCAA Division I interest right now.”